Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

David M wrote: ...
Simply put it is all about power to weight ratio.

2 vehicles virtually identical but the one who had bumpers, rocksliders and protection plates would not get as far.
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Thanks.

This is the thing I've not managed to work out. ie: Back when I drove the dunes, my truck was pretty much standard. No replacement bumper. No steel underbits. No rock sliders etc. Pretty much a factory standard truck (apart from the suspension upgrade). I was also very lightly loaded, as we'd towed the caravan down to trans-boegoe, and I had virtually nothing in the truck apart from a compressor and my normal recovery kit / tools / etc. Most of the 4.8's were relatively modded (bumpers at the least) or relatively loaded (roof racks, fridges, etc). As such, I didn't expect the extra 300cc's to result in such a difference between the vehicles. But it was a massive difference...

In short: I've always wondered whether it came down to tyres (I was running 32" Bridgestone AT3's), or the fact that automatics do better in sand. I'm still curious. I'll try them again one day and see...

David M wrote: ...
The surprise to most was Michael's diesel. I thought the usable rev range would be too small but he actually did brilliantly and if he did not have quite enough he would tinker under the bonnet a bit, there would be even more black smoke and he would then make it.

If all goes according to plan I will take the Firetruck next year as it has less weight, should be making big power by then and will either take out some of the leaf springs or maybe a coil conversion on the back. Could be the perfect vehicle.
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I can imagine Michael's truck would've eaten the dunes. I've always been curious as to how a diesel would fare in the dunes. Back when I was there there was one 3L diesel, two 4.5's, a bunch of 4.8's, and Tommie's monster truck... Because of the setback we had in Kuruman on the way to Boegoeberg, I missed the first day's dune driving, and didn't have a chance to see Stephan's diesel in the dunes. So nice to hear good things. :)

Hmmmm.... so the diesel power was underestimated...... hahaha..... Don't worry, I am also surprised that it did as well as it did. Well done Michael for keeping our name up there with the top dogs !!!

David, the only rational deduction I can make is that out of the 2500 - 3000 rpm that there is sufficient torque to allow the revs to drop slower and stay in the power band for longer.... but impressive yes it is !!

Tyres I think also make a massive difference Ian, The harder sidewall tyres don't balloon as well as a softer sidewall. I also think that even 0.1 bar difference in tyre pressure between vehicles can make a huge difference in sand/dune climbing capabilities. every motor irrespective of petrol or diesel performs slightly different ( fuel pump pressures or air filter cleanliness for example ) and that set up can just give one vehicle the edge over another.

Auto box on the sand is literally the ultimate, In a manual you have to belt the crap out of it to storm a dune, where as the auto will "smoothly" kick back without any break in momentum, hence why diesels generally don't fair well in the dunes as we need to change gears at some point.

Well to be honest, I did better than expected.
The dunes were very steep and you either need loads of power or less weight and I managed to have just enough power.

Driving dunes with a diesel is not easy, you basically have only a usable rev range of 2,000 untill 3,500 rpm and to keep it there you need power which I feel I was still a bit short of.

The gearing is also not easy as 3rd has enough speed but not enough power and 2nd is to slow....... so I had to change down a gear whithout loosing speed

Below is a vid of the one dune I could get up that no 4.8 could. I had to really give it everything starting at the bottom in 3rd LR and doing a quick down shift to 2nd LR just before the top as I ran out of steam in 3rd.

I also had to deflate down to 0.4 and was really amazed by the performance of the 33x12.5x15 grabbers, they were top!

Michael, you biscuit.... that looked brilliant.... and you kicked a 4.8's donkey..... well done man !!!

Yeah I think the 15 inch rims and 33" tyres deflated to 0.4 bar makes a lekker balloon to float on !!!

I LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOVE the smell of diesel in the morning !!

Ha ha thanks Cedric

What you said earlier is really true. I did exactly the same thing but with 0.5 bar tyre preasure but the traction was not enough......just that 0.1 drop made all the difference

Tommie Thanks for a well organized 4x4 trip. Had a awesome time for my first Patrol trip.Looking forward to the next one

Yip, Dankie aan almal. This was most enjoyable and I learned a lot, I feel much more confident taking on the old war-horses like Faan and his PATROL!!!

Would still like to know more about the workings of the diff lock and hubs, etc, will contact Graham . By the way, the Graham setting made my Patrol more responsive and perhaps a little lighter on the Fuel, amazing .

I will contact Tinus for the Roof rack and Snorkel. Thanks Tinus for your support here. Need a snatch rope and Jack and Jerry Cans, and compressor, etc.....

By the way, is a High Lift Jack a good investment......is it easy to use?

Patrol regards

Lyon

ricster wrote:Michael, you biscuit.... that looked brilliant.... and you kicked a 4.8's donkey..... well done man !!!

Yeah I think the 15 inch rims and 33" tyres deflated to 0.4 bar makes a lekker balloon to float on !!!

I LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOVE the smell of diesel in the morning !!

Now waaaaiit a second, the most beautiful and quickest stock standard 4.8 had to leave Sunday, no Diesel Monkey will go past that shine......

Lyon wrote: Yip, Dankie aan almal. This was most enjoyable and I learned a lot, I feel much more confident taking on the old war-horses like Faan and his PATROL!!!

Would still like to know more about the workings of the diff lock and hubs, etc, will contact Graham . By the way, the Graham setting made my Patrol more responsive and perhaps a little lighter on the Fuel, amazing .

I will contact Tinus for the Roof rack and Snorkel. Thanks Tinus for your support here. Need a snatch rope and Jack and Jerry Cans, and compressor, etc.....

By the way, is a High Lift Jack a good investment......is it easy to use?

Patrol regards

Lyon

Don't want to go off topic here. A hi-lift jack is dicficult to use on a car as heavy as a troll, and very dangerous if not used with understanding and due care. But it is also an awesome tool, which can do things no other tool short of a 5 ton crane can.